Yu Wan is from C City and even studied at a university in C City. Because she was studying finance, for the upcoming semester of her fourth year, her mother arranged an internship for her at a friend’s company. Her mom is always like this. She likes to arrange everything for her including her major and her future.
Yu Wan interned at the company her mother arranged for half a year. Then, after graduating from her senior year, without a word, she took her diploma and ran to A City to make a living. This is the first time in her life that she rebelled against her mother. It was both exciting and nerve-racking.
After Yu Wan’s mother found out she went to A City, she made a fuss for an entire day and calmed down the next day. She fully understands her daughter. Yu Wan has never faced any hardships since she was young. So, after running to A City alone, she will face much bitterness and realize that coming home is the best option.
What she expected was correct. Yu Wan did face many hardships in A City but her mother never counted on her meeting Li Shen.
And Li Shen was the person who turned all her bitterness into sweetness.
She met Li Shen on a bright sunny day at the end of August. Yu Wan had been at A City for two months and still hasn’t found a suitable job. The money she brought with her is slowly running out. To solve this emergency, she first found a summer job.
Her job is fairly easy. She has to go to each university and sell phone packages to incoming freshmen while selling phones and tablets along the way. The most important part is she has to get twenty people to follow their public WeChat account every day.
Yu Wan was assigned to A City Conservatory. The school year hasn’t officially started yet but there are already some students who have come to check in. Yu Wan hasn’t finished her sales for the day and the little booth she is standing under had nothing to protect her from the sun. Yu Wan felt like she was about to faint from heatstroke a few times before but today was different.
It’s not because the weather is cool but because a couple of boys are playing basketball at the basketball court.
They wore muscle tanks and shorts, running around the court sweating. They look so dazzling that people can’t look away. It hasn’t been long since Yu Wan graduated from university but because she interned at a company for half a year, she is used to seeing greasy middle-aged men. Seeing these young and lively bodies again, she felt that men are beautiful creatures.
Especially the one wearing the number 10 jersey. He must be very popular at school since there are a lot of girls who came to watch him play on such a hot day.
She faintly heard those girls call him Li Shen.
The man’s beauty made her forget the hot weather for a while. While the boys in the court were desperately clamoring for the ball, it suddenly flew toward the audience. The girl standing on the sidelines must have been used to the ball flying around. She calmly faced the ball flying toward her and hit it away.
Yu Wan, on one hand, felt this brave girl is very fierce and on the other, felt that this girl also missed an opportunity to talk to the boys.
As Yu Wan thought this, she felt a piercing pain strike her face. The basketball the girl hit landed on her face.
Yu Wan, “.....”
When the basketball rolled down from her, tears rolled out from her eyes and her entire nose turned red.
The boys on the court stilled. They discussed within themselves and sent the number 10 player, the tallest and most handsome one, to come over and apologize. Yu Wan saw through her fuzzy sight a boy running to her with a pack of tissues, “Sorry, are you okay? Would you like me to send you to the infirmary?”
Yu Wan can still feel the pain throbbing on her face but seeing that she is attracting a lot of attention, she was too embarrassed to put the blame on them, “I’m fine, I just can’t control my tears.”
The tears continued to flow out. The boy laughed and pulled out a tissue to wipe her tears, “Is it better? Fortunately, there is no bloodshed.”
Yu Wan didn’t expect him to help wipe her tears. She froze and quickly took the tissue from his hand, “Thank, thank you. I can do it myself.”
After drying her tears, Yu Wan finally realized that the person she was talking to was the one the girls called Li Shen.
He looks really handsome, emitting a clear youthful air from his body. His black hair was adorned with sweat that reflected against the light.
Li Shen looked down at her and confirmed, “Are you really okay?”
His gaze made Yu Wan’s heart beat rapidly. She hasn’t spoken to such a handsome man in a long time and the distance between them made her nervous, “I’m really fine. You can go back and play.”
Li Shen apologized to her again and ran back to the court. The boys resumed playing. Yu Wan’s fingertips which were holding the tissue he gave her felt hot. She thinks it must be because of the hot weather.
At the end of the game, there was no suspense. After packing up, the boys met up at the public baths for a wash and gossip. When it comes to gossip, boys are no less inferior to girls, especially when it involves the opposite sex.
“The girl who was hit with the basketball, is she working a summer job?”
“Probably, she looks to be around the same age as us.”
“Li Shen, when you were talking to her, she didn’t ask for your phone number?”
Li Shen who was standing under the shower said, “You are thinking too much.”
His teammate jeered, “It’s not like these kinds of things never happened before, right Zhu Gan*?”
T/N: Zhu Gan is a nickname, not his real name. It means bamboo stick.
Zhu Gan sneered, “There is always someone calling him every day. I will definitely make a fortune if I sell his phone number.”
The sound of laughter rang through the bathhouse for a while and Zhu Gan spoke again, “But Li Shen, you didn’t get her phone number? I think she looks a bit like that cellist you like. What’s her name? Lily?”
Li Shen non committedly replied, “It’s Cicely.”
“Right, Lily.”
Li Shen, “.....”
“Zhu Gan, who’s Lily. Li Shen’s never had a girlfriend before. Could it be he has someone he likes?”
Zhu Gan exaggerated, “You guys don’t know? She’s a famous cellist from abroad. Our Brother Shen likes to listen to her play.”
“Haha, so Li Shen likes to chase celebrities ah.”
Li Shen retorted, “She’s not a celebrity, she’s a cellist.”
Zhu Gan followed, “Yes, yes. Our Brother Shen likes her for her music. I also saw you wiping the tears of that girl today.”
Li Shen turned and gave him a cold stare, “I wonder who was the one who knocked the ball out of the court.”
Zhu Gan immediately defended himself, “It was that brave girl who hit the ball!”
The boys in the bathhouse have a look that says “no shame” in their eyes.
Before going to bed that night, Li Shen took out a disc and played it. Zhu Gan came back to the room and saw him sitting there with headphones on. He smiled and walked up to him, “Are you listening to Lily’s music again?”
“Cicely.” Li Shen lazily answered.
Zhu Gan is very thick-skinned so his degree of ignorance is completely unintentional. He pointed to the photo on the cover of the CD and exclaimed to Li Shen, “She looks like Lily from the basketball court right?!”
Li Shen glanced over. They do look a bit alike…...
Zhu Ran said, “People’s preferences do stay the same. They usually like the same type of people, just like this….”
“Cicely.” Li Shen interrupted him before he could say her name.
Zhu Gan leisurely continued, “It’s good you know. She had three different boyfriends before and they all look similar.”
Li Shen didn’t say anything. Cicely always likes that type of man. But he doesn’t care. He likes her music so he is not interested in her preference in men.
“So, I am interested in the basketball court’s Lily!”
Li Shen, “......”
He turned off the music and went to bed.
The next day, he and his teammates went back to the basketball courts to play. Zhu Gan dribbled the ball over and loudly made a fuss, “Li Shen, Lily is watching you play again!”
Li Shen, “.....”
Is he stupid?
His sight involuntarily moved to the orange booth. The long hair girl is standing in the same position as yesterday wearing the uniform T-shirt from her work. When he met her gaze, she immediately turned away.
Li Shen chuckled and turned away as well.
When Yu Wan was watching the game today, she purposely stood a little farther for fear that the ball would hit her again. The player with the number 10 jersey played steadily, even better than yesterday, making the girls present to cheer him on.
Ah, youth.
Yu Wan’s heart which was devastated by work was gradually filled with vigor.
Li Shen’s team also won today’s game as well. Yu Wan reckon the other team would not play with them tomorrow. After the game was over, the boys and girls began packing up and leaving the court. Yu Wan also returned to her booth and resumed work.
After a while, a figure walked toward her and she unconsciously started to advertise, “Student, check out our new phone plan. Follow our public account for more promotions.”
The person laughed, “What are some benefits of following your account? Free phone credit?”
Yu Wan stared blankly at the number 10 player standing in front of her and quickly recovered, “Not only free phone credit, but there will also be more deals such as discounts on new devices.” She picked up the pamphlet on the table and pointed to the QR code, “Simply scan this QR code and you’ll automatically follow the public account.”
She suddenly remembered she hasn’t completed her 20 people per day quota.
Li Shen straightforwardly took out his phone and scanned the QR code. Yu Wan said her thanks and asked, “Do your classmates want to follow too?”
Li Shen blanked and couldn’t help but laugh. Yu Wan’s ears got even redder from his laugh. She….she’s doing it for work!
Who would’ve thought Li Shen actually called his classmates over to scan the QR code. After Zhu Gan finished scanning, he specifically asked, “Lily, you see how supportive we are, why don’t we exchange WeChat?”
“Ah?” Yu Wan was a bit confused. Who’s Lily?
“Don’t mind him. His brain isn’t right.” Li Shen pushed Zhu Gan and smiled at Yu Wan, “In return for politeness with politeness, why don’t we exchange WeChat as well?”
The author has something to say: The male and female lead’s past will be spread out throughout the novel. There will be no separate epilogue or prequel. Their past history will probably take up ten chapters.
I'm curious about the girl who smacked the ball away. XD
ReplyDeletealso, thank you for the translation!
Deleteso FL is older than ML?? Wow... tysm fr this chpter😊
ReplyDelete